Pneumatic track-sander.



No. 705,757. Patented July 29, 1 902.-

E. ,M. HEDLEY. PNEUMATIC TRACK SANDER.

(Application filed Mar. 19, 1902.

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-UNITED STATES" PATENT EDWARD tLnEnL ijroF DEPEW, NEW-YORK PN EU MATlCTB A CK-SAND ER. Q 7

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 705,757, dated July29,1992.

Applioation filed March 19, 1902 Serial 98,884; (No model-l;

To will whom if? may concern: it

Be it known that'I, E WARD M. HEDLEY, a citizen of the United States anda resident of Depew, in the county. of Erie, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Track-Sanders,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has relation to that class of pneumatic sanding devicesused upon locomotives, trolley-cars, and likevehicles fordeliveringastream of sand in front of the drive- Wheels of the vehicle in ordertoprevent the slipping or skidding of the wheels.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple, durable, andefiective construction of sander whereby the danger of the clogging ofpipes from condensation or other causes will be prevented, and whereby amore effective delivery of the sand to the rails will be secured, andwhereby also the cleaning or repair of the apparatus may be more readilyaccomplished.

The invention consists in the various features of improvementhereinafter described,

illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularly pointedout in the several claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view ofi a 1900- invention is shown asapplied to a locomotive engine, but it will be understood, however, thatit may be employed upon trolley-cars, or, in fact, in any situationwhere a pneumatic track-sander is adapted for use.

A designates the body or casing of ,the sander. From this casing A asand-delivery pipe B will extend to the sand-reservoir, which inthe caseof locomotive-engines is usually located-abovethe boiler. From thecasing A air-delivery pipes O and C will lead to suitable valvemechanism within the engineers cab. As such valve mechanism, however,forms no part of the present invention it need not be particularlydescribed.

The sander-casing Awill be connected to the sand-delivery pi e 15 by asuitable coupling D, 'revolu bly connected to the lower end of the pipeB and iuteriorly threaded-to engage theexteriorly-threaded upper and ofthe neck a of thecasing A. 1 By this means thesander casing A will bereadily connected to and disconnected from the ,sand delivery.

pipeB. M; The neck a of the sander-casing'lA- is provided with a cut-0Evalve E, this valvebeing adapted tohe swung across the saiid admi'ssionorifice a in the neck of the casing; A, and

thus prevent admission of-sand to the casing when the latter is to' becleaned-orjrepaired.

This feature of a cut-off valve at the top of the casing is to becleaned ,withoutn ecessi I tating the disconnection of. the sandercasingand without the wastage of-sand from the reservoir. casing A is formedwith an offset-chamber E, adapted to receive the cut-Oftvalve -E,

As shown, the upper part. of. the.

which when the sander is in operation will i occupy the position shownmoreparti'cularly in Fig. 20f the drawings. The ofiset-"rcham'- ber E ispreferably formed as anintegral part of the casing A, vthe chamberl lbeing cored in theprocessof casting. Y

In order to permit the cut-off valvel Etobe inserted into the chamber E,a -slot' ewillbe cut through the wall of. the casing, as" moreparticularly indicated in Fig. 2 of theidrawings, this slot beingpreferably, of the .q'u a rant or triangular shape there shown, The

cut-01f valve E-Will be inserted throughflthe r 9 1ng e will be closedby a strip 6, that will be slot thus formed, and the edgeofi theopenheldin position by suitable pinsorscrewse L that will pass'through thehorizontal walls'ofi the chamber, as indicated moreparticularly in Fig.2 of the drawings. The'checkf-va'lve E is formed with a polygonalopening adapt ed to receive the valve-stem E thatfwillbe insertedthrough the horizontal wallfiof'ihe chamber E, as clearly shown in Fig.3;of the drawings. The outer portion of the cheekloo E, the valve-stem Ebeing formed with an annular recess a at such point. One side of thatpart of the valve-stem E exposed to the bearing of the spring E will beflattened, and this flattened portion will be so situated that when thecut-ofi valve E is in its normal open position the free end of thespring E will bear against the flattened portion of the valve-stem, andthus serve to hold the checkvalve E in open position and eifectivelyguard against accidental closure of the valve. The spring E will befastened, as by screws (2, (shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2,) tothat part of the valve-casing E immediately beneaththe chamber orextension E. It will thus be seen that the valve E will be completelyclosed in, so that all danger of access of water to the interior of thecasing at such point will be effectively prevented, while at the sametime the valve may be shifted by means of the handle E whenever it isdesired to shut. off the supply of sand to the sander-casingas forexample, when the sander is to be cleaned or repaired.

The body of the sander-casing A is divided by a vertical diaphragm Athat extends to a point immediately beneath the sand-admission openinga, in the neck of the casing, and as this diaphragm is arrangedcentrally beneath the opening a the supply of sand will be delivered tothe chambers A and A at each side of the diaphragm. Each of the chambersA 'and A is formed with a curved bottom a and beneath the chambers A andA extend the air-delivery channels a and 0,

As shown, these channels a and a are of segmental shape, and as they arethe same in construction one only is illustrated in the drawings. Infact, it will be readily perceived that the two portions ofthesandercasing A lying upon opposite sides of the diaphragm A aresubstantially duplicates one of the other, the purpose of thisarrangement being to enable the chamber and adj unctive devices at oneside of the diaphragm A to be used for delivering sand to the track whenthe locomotive or car is moving in forward direction, while the chamberand adjunctive devices at the opposite side of the diaphragm A will bebrought into operation for delivering sand to the rail when the 1000-motive or car is moving in backward direction. I wish it understood alsothat while in the preferredembodiment of the invention the sander isprovided with duplicate chambers manifestly features of the inventionmay be employed where a single chamber only is used. 1

The channels a and a beneath the chambers A and A are provided,preferably, at their bottoms with ports, to which will be fitted theends of the air-delivery pipes O and C, respectively, and at the end ofeach of the channels a and 0, willbe placed an air-jet nozzle G, adaptedto direct a jet of air downward in diagonal direction into thecorresponding chamber A or A The opposite end of the channels a and awill be provided each with an air-jet nozzle H, arranged opposite theoutlet a from the corresponding chamber A or A To the outlet a of thechamber A connects a sand-discharge pipe K, that will-lead to a pointadjacent the rail or track in front of the forward wheel of thelocomotive or car, and to the corresponding outlet at of the chamber Awill be connected a similar sand-delivery pipe K, that will lead toapoint adjacent the track or rail at a point behind the traction-wheel ofthe locomotive or car, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1 of thedrawings. In the upper part of each of the chambers A and A is arrangeda deflecting arch plate a that is preferably curved downward toward thecenter of the chamber, as clearly shown in Fig. 4: of the drawings, thepurpose of this plate a being to effect a whirling movement of the sandin front of the discharge-opening a before it is forced down thedischarge-pipe leading from the sander-casin g. For convenience incleaning and as well also to permit the insertion of the steam-jetnozzles suitable screw-threaded openings closed by the plugs M and N areformed in the walls of the casing A.

From the foregoing description the operation of my improved sander willbe seen to be as follows: If it is desired to sand the track in front ofthe locomotive-wheels, the operator will, by the manipulation ofsuitable valve mechanism in the cab, cause air to pass through theair-delivery pipe 0 into thechannel a beneath the chamber A of thecasing. Air thus delivered to the channel a will pass through thecontracted openings of the airjet nozzles G and H. The air escapingthrough the nozzle G will cause the whirling motion of the sand withinthe chamber A thereby driving the stream of sand into the path of thejet of air passing from the nozzle H and causing the air to dischargeinto the pipe K that leads from the chamber A to-the track. In likemanner if it is desired to deliver sand to the track at the rear of thetraction-wheels of the locomotive the engineer will cause air to passthrough the air-delivery pipe 0 into the channel a beneath the chamber Aand from this channel a the air will be discharged through thecorresponding airjet nozzles G and H and sand will be discharged fromthe chamber A through the sand-discharge pipe K, that leads to the pipeat the rear of the traction-wheels. The employment of supplementalair-jets G for each of the chambers A and A if two chambers be used,together with the shape of these chambers, has the efiect of producingsuch a whirling or agitation of the sand within the chambers as to causethe sand to pass with even distribution into the outlet a where it willbe caughtby thejet of air passing through the nozzle H, and all dangerof the clogging of the sand-discharge pipes is thereby eifect ivelyavoided.

When it is desired to clean the interior of the sander-casing, theengineer will close the valve E, so as to cut off the supply of sandthrough the sand-delivery pipe B. The plugs M and N may then be removedand the interior of the casing cleaned without danger of wasting sand orwithout the necessity of emptying the sand-reservoir.

A further marked advantage incident to my invention is that thesander-casing being formed as a single casting it can be convenientlyset in place or removed without danger of parts being lost or misplaced.

While I have set forth what I regard as the preferred embodiment of myinvention, I wish it distinctly understood that the details ofconstruction may be modified Within wide limits without departing fromthe spirit of the invention and that features of the invention may beemployed without its adoption as an entirety.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casin g having'an opening forconnection with the sand reservoir, an opening for connection with thesand-discharge pipe and an opening for connect-ion with the air-deliverypipe, of a valve movable transversely of said opening that leads to thesand reservoir and a casing at one side of said last-mentioned openingto receive said valve when moved to open position, and a stem leadingoutside said valvecasing whereby said valve may be shifted.

2. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing having an openingforconnection with the sand-reservoir, an opening for connection withthe sand-discharge pipe and an opening for connection to theair-delivery pipe, of a valve for closing the opening that connects withthe sand-reservoir, a chamber wherein said valve is inclosed, saidchamber being formed with a slot to admit the valve, and a strip forclosing said slot or opening of the chamber.

3. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing having an opening forconnection with the sand-reservoir, an opening for connection with thesand-discharge pipe and an opening for connection with the air-deliverypipe, of a valve located in. said casing and adapted to close theopening for the admission of sand, a handle connected with said valveand arranged upon the outside of said casing and a spring for holdingsaid valve in open position.

4. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing having an opening forconnection with the sand-reservoir, an opening for connection with thesand-discharge pipe and an opening for connection with the air-deliverypipe, of an air-jet nozzle or port for agitating the sand within thecasing and an air-jet nozzle or port for causing the passage of sandthrough the sand-discharge pipe.

5. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing having an opening forconnection with the sand reservoir, an opening for connection with thesand-discharge pipe'and an opening for connection with the air-deliverypipe, of an air-delivery channel extending partially around thesand-receiving chamber of said casing, an air-jet nozzle or portadjacent one end of said air-delivery channel andadapted to deliver ajet of air to agitate the sand, and a second air-jet nozzle or portatthe opposite end of said channel and adjacent theopening of the casingthat leads into the sand-discharge pipe, whereby the sand will be forcedthrough said pipe.

6. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing having a sand-receivingchamber, an opening above said chamber, for connection with thesand-"reservoir, an opening leading from said chamber at one side ofsaid casing for connection with the sand-discharge pipe, an airvdeliverychannel beneath and extend ing partially around said chamber, an air-jetnozzle or port at the upper end of said channel and arranged to deliverair obliquely downward into said chamber, asecond air-jet nozzle or portarranged at the end of said air-delivery channel opposite saidsand-discharge opening and an air-delivery pipe connected to saidchannel.

7 A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing havingasand-receivingchamber therein, an opening above said chamber for connection with thesandereservoir, an opening at one side of said chamber for connectionwith the sand-discharge pipe, a deflector arch arranged between saidsand-admission opening and said sand-discharge opening, an airjet nozzleor port arranged on the opposite side of the chamber from saiddeflectonarch and a pipe for delivering air to said air-jet nozzle orport, wherebya whirling movement of the sand within the chamber will beeffected.

8. A pneumatic track-sander comprisinga casing having an opening forconnection with the sand-reservoir, an opening for connection with thesand-discharge pipe and an opening for connection with the air deliverypipe, of a deflector-arch arranged within said casing, an air-jet nozzleor port for agitating the sand within the casing, said port beingarranged at a point opposite said deflector-arch and a second air-jetnozzle or port arranged opposite the sand-discharge opening of saidcasin g.

9. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing having an opening at itstop for connection with the sand-reservoir, a verticallydisposeddiaphragm arranged beneath said opening and dividing the easing into twochambers for receiving sand, at sand-discharge port leading from each ofsaid chambers and individual air-delivery pipes and air jet nozzles orports for said chambers.

10. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing having atits topanopening for connection with the sand-reservoir, a diaphragm beneathsaid opening and dividing the easing into two sand-receiving chambers,each of which chambers is provided with a sand-discharge port, adeflector-arch within each of said chambers, an air-jet nozzle arrangedadjacent the discharge-port of each of said chambers and serving toeject the sand therefrom, and an air-jet nozzle or port arranged Withineach of said chambers opposite said discharge-port for agitating thesand before it is discharged from the casing.

11. Apneumatiotrack-sander comprisinga casing. having an opening at itstop for connection with the sand-reservoir, a verticallydisposeddiaphragm beneath said opening and dividing said easing into twosand-receiving chambers, each of which chambers is provided with asand-discharge port, a deflector-arch arranged within each of saidchambers above said discharge-port, air-delivery channels extendingbeneath and partially around said chambers, each of said channels beingprovided at its upper end with an airjet nozzle or port for deliveringair to agitate the sand within the chamber and at its opposite end withan air-jet nozzle or port for delivering a jet of air to eject the sandfrom the casing, and air-delivery pipes connected with said channels.

12. A pneumatic track-sander comprising a casing having an opening forconnection with the sand-reservoir, an opening for connection with thesand-discharge pipe and an opening for connection with the air-deliverypipe, of an air-jet nozzle for agitating the sand within the casing andan air-jet nozzle for causing the passage of sand through thesand-discharge pipe, said air-jet nozzles being removably held inposition within said casing.

EDWD. M. HEDLEY.

Witnesses:

G. KUOH, CHARLES E. PETERS.

